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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/The Letter
Relationship Mapping

The Letter

Participatory Methods The Letter The Letter is a participatory activity that invites participants to write a reflective letter, either addressed to themselves, to another person, or to a specific situation.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25)GROUP SIZE
QuietENERGY
RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Encourage introspection and emotional expression through writing.
  2. Facilitate the communication of thoughts or emotions that are difficult to express verbally.
  3. Strengthen the bond between participants or with themselves.
  4. Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.
  5. Optional: decorative elements such as stickers or stamps to personalize the letters.
  6. Create a calm and comfortable environment where participants can write without distractions.
  7. Participatory Methods The Letter The Letter is a participatory activity that invites participants to write a reflective letter, either addressed to themselves, to another person, or to a specific situation.
  8. Prepare the materials: Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.
  9. Set up the space: Create a calm and comfortable environment where participants can write without distractions.
  10. Arrange tables or individual spaces to ensure privacy during the writing process.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.

Create a calm and comfortable environment where participants can write without distractions.

Participatory Methods The Letter The Letter is a participatory activity that invites participants to write a reflective letter, either addressed to themselves, to another person, or to a specific situation.

Prepare the materials: Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.

Set up the space: Create a calm and comfortable environment where participants can write without distractions.

Arrange tables or individual spaces to ensure privacy during the writing process.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: The Letter. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.; Create a calm and comfortable environment where participants can write without distractions.; Participatory Methods The Letter The Letter is a participatory activity that invites participants to write a reflective letter, either addressed to themselves, to another person, or to a specific situation.; Prepare the materials: Sheets of paper or cards to write the letters.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with